Ilhan Omar decries Trump’s immigration plan

Washington, May 17: Somali-born US Congresswoman Ilhan Omar is among those to have criticised the plans for a new US immigration system - designed to favour younger, better educated, English-speaking workers - announced on Thursday by President Donald Trump.

Under the new system, border security would be beefed up and a tougher line taken on asylum seekers. "We can't turn our backs on the asylum seekers. It is quite devastating to hear the way that he [President Trump] speaks about humans who are just looking for a new day, or who are running from devastating situations. I was one of those," said Ms Omar, according to a BBC News report.

"So when I hear the people in this administration speak about the kind of country that they want, it's one that takes us back to something that nobody recognises. We need to implement policies that move us forward. So when I hear the people in this administration speak about the kind of country that they want, it's one that takes us back to something that nobody recognises. We need to implement policies that move us forward," she said.

In his address at the White House, President Trump proposed moving away from the current system that favours applicants with family ties to the US."The biggest change we make is to increase the proportion of highly skilled immigration from 12pc to 57pc and we would like to even see if we can go higher," he said. (UNI)